INSIDE THE CITY OF ELDHOLLOW
The city was quieter tonight, colder. The kind of cold that crept into your bones and whispered secrets you didn't want to hear. Liora pulled her coat tighter as she stepped out of the apothecary. Her breath came out in little clouds that dissolved into the darkness.
No stars, no moon, just the dim yellow glow of streetlights that flickered like they were tired too. She took the longer route home not because she wanted to, but because the shorter she normally passed by was where she saw Kael. The man with no heartbeat and too many secrets. She told herself she wasn't scared, she was tired. But what's the difference. Her shoes clicked on the pavement as she passed closed shops and empty benches. Somewhere in the distance, a train moaned, and the sound stretched through the air like that was something wounded. She didn't even notice the figure watching from above.
Kael crouched on a rooftop, still as stone as a gust of wind tugged at the hem of his coat. Black velvet with silver stitching, too fine for the streets, his long hair, dark as ink, was tied back at the nape of his neck. His eyes were the colour of dying embers, not bright, not soft. Just the memory of fire. Elric stood behind him, sharp as a blade, his blond hair which was cropped short, his eyes pale as frost, and his clothes simple. A grey shirt and black coat. No nonsense, no warmth. "You're slipping," Elric said. Kael didn't respond.
"She's not what you expected."
"She's more," Kael said.
Elric's mouth tightened. "You're forgetting the goal."
"I remember it better than you." Kael said with a stern look.
Below them, Liora paused, she had that look again, the one that could let her feel when someone was too close without seeing them. And her magic, weak as it was, still worked in odd little ways.
Kael stepped back into the shadow.
"I'll come to her tomorrow," he said. "She'll be ready."
"You sound sure." Elric replied.
Kael's mouth curled. "She's curious. And she's dying."
Elric said nothing more. He knew Kael well enough to recognize that tone. It meant the plan had already changed.
BACK IN LIORA'S APARTMENT
Liora let go of her coat and let it fall to the floor. Nessa hadn't left a note this time, just a cold plate of food on the table. Her blanket was missing from the couch, her little sister must have taken it to bed. The walls creaked, and the windows rattled. Her home felt like it was holding its breath.
She didn't light any candles. She just sat on the edge of her bed and stared at her hands. Pale, thinner than they used to be. Her fingers trembled slightly when she tried to close them.
The curse wasn't killing her the way any normal sickness would. It was eating her off her magic, her very essence. The thing that made her alive in ways no human could ever understand.
Her mirror caught her reflection. Burgundy and gold hair spilt over her shoulders like fire that had gone cold. Her skin was like snow, too white, too still, but her beauty remained, a cruel trick. Then there was a knock at the window, not the door. The window. She stood up slowly, not startled, just annoyed.
"You must be desperate," she said as she pulled it open. Kael stood outside like he'd been there all along.
"Do you always greet people like that?" he asked.
"Only the dead ones." She said emotionless
He smiled without warmth. "I came to apologize."
"For stalking me?"
"For frightening you."
"You didn't frighten me."
"Of course not." Kael told her smoothly
She moved aside. "Get in or get lost."
He stepped in, silent and smooth. He didn't bother to look around. He didn't seem impressed or judgmental, just present.
She folded her arms. "What the hell do you want, Kael?"
He looked at her like a scholar might look at a rare text. "I want to understand something."
She raised a brow. "Me?"
"Yes."
"Well that's stupid."
"Is it?"
She turned away, heading for the kitchen. "You're not charming."
"I wasn't trying to be."
"Good. I don't like charm." She said
"I noticed."
She poured in some tea. Her fingers shook, but she didn't spill.
"Let's make something clear," she said. "I don't like games. I don't like liars, and I don't trust people who appear out of nowhere and act like they freaking know me."
Kael watched her. "That seems wise."
"Then stop following me."
"I will. If you tell me what's eating you alive."
Liora froze, her eyes snapped to his.
"I'm not blind," he said. "Your magic is cracking, your body is tired, you're pretending everything is fine, but it's not. And the worst part is you're not surprised, you're used to it."
She set the cup down hard.
"You're very good at pretending to care." She said sternly
"I'm very good at seeing what people hide."
"Then see this. I want you to leave."
He didn't move.
"I'm not afraid of you," she said.
"No, you're not," he agreed. "You're afraid of something else…something worse"
"And what's that?"
"That you're not alone in this." He said with assurance. He walked to the door without another word, his coat swept behind him like a shadow. Once he was gone, she didn't sit. She went straight to her bookshelf. She dug behind the herbal guides and spell charts until her fingers closed around a box. Inside was a small piece of parchment. A sigil, drawn in ink older than any she owned, passed down from someone who never explained its use. And tonight, it glowed faintly red. The curse was changing.
Far away, in a room lit only by candlelight, Kael dropped a silver ring onto the table. It spun once and stopped with the stone facing up.
Elric entered quietly. "She let you in?"
"She let me out," Kael said.
"And?"
"She's stubborn, rude , suspicious."
"So you like her then?" Elric answered
Kael didn't smile. "She's not what I expected."
"You said that already."
"She has a sigil." Kael said with a disturbed heart.
Elric stilled. "The one?"
Kael nodded. "It glowed."
"But- but that's not possible."Elric said anxiously
"It shouldn't be." Kael replied
"Then what does it mean?"
Kael picked up the ring and looked at the stone. "It means her curse may not be killing her."
Elric's voice dropped. "It may be unlocking her."
Silence.
Somewhere in the dark, something ancient stirred, and Liora curled on her bed, didn't know that her blood wasn't just rare.
It was wanted, and not just by Kael. But by something much worse.